Method and apparatus for controlling device and computer readable medium storing the method

ABSTRACT

A device control method and apparatus and computer readable medium storing the method, the method including selecting at least one device based on at least one outdoor environment information; and generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2010-0093802, filed on Sep. 28, 2010 in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus forcontrolling a network-based device and computer readable medium storingthe method.

2. Description of the Related Art

An example of a network-based device control apparatus may be a homeautomation system. A conventional home automation system generallycontrols indoor devices based on the indoor environment. That is, theconventional home automation system measures the indoor environment suchas the temperature, humidity, air contamination, and the like by using asensor and a previously set condition, and controls functions of devicessuch as air conditioners, humidifiers, boilers, robot cleaners, aircleaners, etc., according to the result of such measurement.

However, based on recent developments in network technology and highlevel of functionality of various devices, a network-based devicecontrol technology capable of providing various services is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling anetwork-based device by using outdoor environment information andcomputer readable medium storing the method.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus forcontrolling a network-based device by using outdoor environmentinformation and indoor environment information and computer readablemedium storing the method.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus forcontrolling a network-based device by using outdoor environmentinformation, indoor environment information, and user information andcomputer readable medium storing the method.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus forcontrolling a network-based device by using outdoor environmentinformation and user information and computer readable medium storingthe method.

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus forcontrolling a network-based device by using user information andcomputer readable medium storing the method.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a device control methodis provided, including selecting at least one device-based on at leastone outdoor environment information; and generating control informationregarding the selected at least one device-based on the at least oneoutdoor environment information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a device controlmethod is provided, including selecting at least one device-based on atleast one user information; and generating control information regardingthe selected at least one device-based on the at least one userinformation.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a device controlapparatus is provided, including a first network interface unit forinterfacing with an external network; a second network interface unitfor interfacing with a local area network; and a processor for selectingat least one device accessible through the second network interface unitbased on at least one outdoor environment information received throughthe first network interface unit, and generating control informationregarding the selected at least one device-based on the at least oneoutdoor environment information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a device controlapparatus is provided, including a first network interface unit forinterfacing with an external network; a second network interface unitfor interfacing with a local area network; a processor for selecting atleast one device-based on user information obtained by searching for atleast one of an external database and an internal database accessiblethrough the second network interface unit and the second networkinterface unit and generating control information regarding the selectedat least one device-based on the user information; and a storage unitfor storing database based on the user information, wherein the databasestored in the storage unit corresponds to the internal database.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program forexecuting the device control method is provided, including selecting atleast one device-based on at least one outdoor environment information;and generating control information regarding the selected at least onedevice-based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program forexecuting the device control method is provided, including selecting atleast one device-based on at least one user information; and generatingcontrol information regarding the selected at least one device-based onthe at least one user information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[Please Consecutively Label the Pages of the Drawings Sheets, 1/11,2/11, 3/11, Etc.]

The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent by describing in detail embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network based on a devicecontrol apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a device control apparatus,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of selecting at least onedevice-based on outdoor environment information of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bya device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bydevice control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a device control apparatus,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 10, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 10, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a network based on a devicecontrol apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description,the same elements will be designated by the same reference numeralsalthough they are shown in different drawings. Further, variousdefinitions found in the following description, such as specific valuesof packet identifications, contents of displayed information, and thelike, are provided only to help with the general understanding of thepresent invention, and it is apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe present invention can be implemented without such definitions.Further, in the following description of the present invention, adetailed description of known functions and configurations incorporatedherein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of thepresent invention unclear. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating anetwork 100 based on a device control apparatus 110, according to anembodiment of the present invention, in which a user device 130_5 can beaccessed over an external network 120.

Referring to FIG. 1, the network 100 includes the device controlapparatus 110, the external network 120, a region 130 accessible by thedevice control apparatus 110 over the external network 120, and a region160 accessible and controllable by the device control apparatus 110 overa local area network 140.

The external network 120 may include at least one of networks, such asInternet, a mobile communication network, a broadcasting network, acable TV network, and a satellite network, but the present invention isnot limited thereto. The external network 120 may be an external servicenetwork or an external access network.

The region 130 includes a website 130_1, a medical institute server130_2, a broadcasting station server 130_3, a weather center server130_4, a user device 130_5, and the like. However, the members of theregion 130 are not limited thereto. The website 130_1, the medicalinstitute server 130_2, the broadcasting station server 130_3, theweather center server 130_4, and the user device 130_5 may beinformation providers for providing the device control apparatus 110with information over the external network 120. However, the website130_1, the medical institute server 130_2, the broadcasting stationserver 130_3, the weather center server 130_4, and the user device 130_5included in the region 130 may be service providers for providing thedevice control apparatus 110 with services over the external network120.

The website 130_1, the medical institute server 130_2, the broadcastingstation server 130_3, the weather center server 130_4, and the userdevice 130_5 included in the region 130 may provide informationaccording to the requirements of the device control apparatus 110. Thewebsite 130_1, the medical institute server 130_2, the broadcastingstation server 130_3, the weather center server 130_4, and the userdevice 130_5 included in the region 130 may provide the device controlapparatus 110 with at least one of outdoor environment information anduser information. The user device 130_5 may provide the device controlapparatus 110 with control information corresponding to guideinformation based on control information regarding a selected devicetransmitted from the device control apparatus 110. The guide informationmay be a question (or a message, or a query) based on the controlinformation of the selected device. If the selected device is an airconditioner, and the control information is power on, the guideinformation may be a question, such as “Do you want to power on an airconditioner?” The control information corresponding to the guideinformation may be configured simply as “yes, no,” but may also beconfigured as specific data or detailed data. The specific data ordetailed data may be numerical data or data expressing a function of theselected device. The control information corresponding to the guideinformation may be transmitted or received based on a control command ofthe selected device, a response signal to the guide information, or theguide information.

The website 130_1, the medical institute server 130_2, the broadcastingstation server 130_3, the weather center server 130_4, and the userdevice 130_5 included in the region 130 may include a database. Thedatabase included in the website 130_1, the medical institute server130_2, the broadcasting station server 130_3, the weather center server130_4, and the user device 130_5 included in the region 130 may be anexternal database with respect to the device control apparatus 110. If adatabase server (not shown) is included in the region 130, the databaseserver may also be the external database. The device control apparatus110 may search for the outdoor environment information and the userinformation from the external database based on the region 130. If atleast one of devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n includes thedatabase, the database may be also the external database with respect tothe device control apparatus 110. The device control apparatus 110 maysearch for the user information in the external database based on thedevices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n.

The user device 130_5 is related to at least one of the devices 1 to n150_1 through 150 _(—) n controlled by the device control apparatus 110.For example, if the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n arehome-based devices, the user device 130_5 may be a device of a personamong people lived in a home. The region 130 may include a plurality ofuser devices. For example, if people lived in the home are 3, the region130 may include at least one user device in addition to the user device130_5, and the device control apparatus 110 may be a user device of aperson who lives in the home.

The user device 130_5 may be a mobile device. The mobile device may beportable devices such as a cellular phone, a smartphone, a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), anavigation device, but the mobile device is not limited thereto.

The local area network 140 is a network based on a wireless protocol,such as Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, Home Radio Frequency (RF), InfraredData Association (IrDA), Ultra WideBand (UWB) and wireless 1394, orbased on a wired protocol, such as Ethernet, Home Phoneline NetworkingAlliance (PNA), Power Line Communications (PLC), IEEE 1394, andUniversal Serial Bus (USB), and may be an indoor based network or ahome-based network, but the present invention is not limited thereto.The local area network 140 may be a combination of wireless and wirednetworks. The local area network 140 is not limited to the indoornetwork because at least one of the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150_(—) n may be outdoors. For example, a device such as one that controlsthe lighting in front of a porch, a lawn sprinkler, and the like. may bea home-based device or outdoors.

The devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n may be accessible andcontrollable by the device control apparatus 110 over the local areanetwork 140. For example, if the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) nare home-based devices, the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n mayinclude a refrigerator, a washing machine, a TV set, an air conditioner,a humidifier, an air cleaner, a lighting, a boiler, a robot cleaner, adishwasher, an oven, a stove, a window, a sprinkler, a mobile device(e.g., a mobile phone), and the like, but the present invention is notlimited thereto.

The devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n may be determined accordingto the purpose of the region 160 in which the devices 1 to n 150_1through 150 _(—) n are installed. For example, if the purpose of theregion 160 is a home base region, the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150_(—) n may include the home-based devices stated above. For example, ifthe purpose of the region 160 is an office based region, the devices 1to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n may be office devices, lightings, windows,air cleaners, mobile phones, and the like. The devices 1 to n 150_1through 150 _(—) n are network-based devices. The region 160 may beaccessible and controllable by the device control apparatus 110 over thelocal area network 140, and may be space-based regions such as home, anoffice, an office building, a factory, and the like.

The device control apparatus 110 may access the information provider 130over the external network 120, and control at least one of the devices 1to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n accessible over the local area network140. The device control apparatus 110 may be a mash-up service apparatusbased on control of at least one device accessible over the local areanetwork 140, a home controller, a control point, a home network serveror a home automation system in combination of a home gateway and a homeserver, and a remote home controller in a Machine-to-Machine (M2M), butthe present invention is not limited thereto. The device controlapparatus 110 may further include a function of collecting indoorenvironment information.

The device control apparatus 110 may be implemented as a mobileapparatus. If the device control apparatus 110 is a mobile apparatus,the device control apparatus 110 may be an apparatus of a persondifferent from that of the user device 130_5. For example, if the region160 is the home-based region, and the device control apparatus 110 is amobile apparatus of a one resident of the home, the user device 13_5 maybe a mobile device of another resident.

The device control apparatus 110 and the local area network 140 areinstalled or exist in a space-based region that is physically sharedwith the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n, and, thus, the region160 may include the device control apparatus 110, the local area network140, and the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n.

The device control apparatus 110 may be configured as shown in FIG. 2.FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a device control apparatus 200,according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device controlapparatus 200 may be implemented to operate on the basis of only outdoorenvironment information, on the basis of outdoor environment informationand user information, or on the basis of only user information.

Referring to FIG. 2, the device control apparatus 200 includes a firstnetwork interface unit 210, a storage unit 220, a second networkinterface unit 230, a user interface unit 240 including an input unit241 and an output unit 242, and a processor 250. The device controlapparatus 200 of FIG. 2 may be implemented as shown more or less in FIG.2. For example, the device control apparatus 200 may be implemented notto include the user interface unit 240 or to include the storage unit220 in the processor 250.

The first network interface unit 210 provides an interface function oftransmitting and receiving data between the external network 120 and theprocessor 250. According to the implementation of the device controlapparatus 200, the data received through the first network interfaceunit 210 may include control information corresponding to guideinformation based on the outdoor environment information and controlinformation regarding a selected device, control informationcorresponding to guide information based on the outdoor environmentinformation, the user information, and the control information regardingthe selected device, or control information corresponding to guideinformation based on the user information and the control informationregarding the selected device.

The outdoor environment information may include at least one piece ofinformation, such as weather, temperature, humidity, intensity of wind,a degree of air pollution (for example, Asian Dust), security, traffic,life care, energy consumption, sunshine, and the like. The outdoorenvironment information may be public information or public data. Theuser information will be described in detail referring to FIG. 6.

The storage unit 220 stores program and data necessary for performing adevice control method according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The program may operate after being loaded onto the processor250. The program stored in the storage unit 220 may be previously storedalthough the program may be stored after being downloaded through thefirst network interface unit 210. The data may include informationregarding the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n and information ofuser devices corresponding to the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—)n according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the datastored in the storage unit 20 may include various types of data thatwill be described later.

The information regarding the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) nmay be configured in a table including a linkage between names of thedevices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n and the outdoor environmentinformation, that is, table 1 below. However, the table including alinkage between the names of the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) nand the outdoor environment information is not limited to table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Information Amount intensity air Life energy of Devices weathertemperature humidity of wind pollution security traffic care consumptionsunlight refrigerator ∘ washing machine/ ∘ ∘ ∘ drying machine TV ∘ air ∘∘ ∘ ∘ conditioner humidifier ∘ ∘ ∘ air cleaner ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ lighting ∘ ∘ ∘boiler ∘ robot cleaner ∘ ∘ dish cleaner ∘ oven/cook top window ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘sprinkler ∘ ∘ mobile phone ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘

The information of user devices corresponding to the devices 1 to n150_1 through 150 _(—) n is determined according to at least one ofusage history information regarding each device, location informationthereof, and attribute information thereof. The information regardinguser devices may use identifying information of each device. Forexample, a cellular phone number may be used as the information of auser device.

The usage history information of each device may be collected bymonitoring each device in the processor 250 through the second networkinterface unit 230 and stored in the storage unit 220. The usage historyinformation of each device may include information regarding a user whofrequently uses each device. For example, if three users share theregion 160, and user A of the three users most frequently uses thedevice 1 150_1, the usage history information of the device 1 150_1 mayinclude information regarding A. The processor 250 may select a userdevice-based on the information regarding user A.

The location information of each device is physical location informationin the region 160, may be input from the input unit 241 of the userinterface unit 240 or collected by monitoring each device in theprocessor 250 through the second network interface unit 230. Forexample, if the device 2 150_2 is a refrigerator, location informationof the device 2 150_2 may be a kitchen. The processor 250 may select theuser device-based on the location information that is the kitchen. Inthis regard, information indicating a role of each user or informationregarding relationships between users may be further used. For example,if user B plays a role of spending much time mainly in the kitchen, theprocessor 250 may select a user device of B based on the locationinformation that is the kitchen. The information indicating the role ofeach user or the information regarding relationships between users maybe previously stored in the storage unit 220.

The attribute information of each device may include functioninformation of each device. The attribute information of each device maybe input from the input unit 241 of the user interface unit 240 orcollected by the processor 250 through the second network interface unit230 and stored in the storage unit 220 when each device is installed.For example, if function information of the device 3 150_3 includes acleaning function, the processor 250 may select a user device-based onthe cleaning function information. In this regard, the informationindicating the role of each user or the information regardingrelationships between users that have been previously stored in thestorage unit 220 may be used.

The second network interface unit 230 provides an interface function oftransmitting and receiving data between the local area network 140 ofFIG. 1 and the processor 250.

The user interface unit 240 interfaces between the device controlapparatus 200 and a user. The user interface unit 240 may input an inputsignal such as a touch-based signal, a key-based signal, and a mousemanipulation based signal, and output control information regarding aselected device, but the input signal and an output signal are notlimited thereto.

The user interface unit 240 may include the input unit 241 that inputsthe input signal and the output unit 242 that outputs the output signal.A signal input through the user interface unit 240 may be analyzed as asignal input through the input unit 241. A signal output through theuser interface unit 240 may be analyzed as a signal output through theoutput unit 242. The output unit 242 may be a display device. If theoutput unit 242 is the display device, the output unit 242 may be thedisplay device, such as, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Light-EmittingDiode (LED), and Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED).However, the user interface unit 240 is not limited thereto.

The processor 250 controls all functions of the device control apparatus200 and may be a controller or a microprocessor, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The processor 250 selects at least onedevice from information regarding at least one device stored in thestorage unit 220 based on at least one of the user information and atleast one piece of the outdoor environment information received throughthe first network interface unit 210, and generates information used tocontrol the selected device based on the received outdoor environmentinformation.

The processor 250 may operate as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchartillustrating a device control method performed by the device controlapparatus 200 of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, in which the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n arecontrolled based on outdoor environment information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in step S301, the processor 250 selects at leastone device based on received outdoor environment information. That is,the processor 250 selects at least one device by detecting and analyzingthe outdoor environment information from information received throughthe first network interface unit 210. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustratinga method of selecting at least one device based on the outdoorenvironment information of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in step S401, the processor 250 detects the outdoorenvironment information from the information received through the firstnetwork interface unit 210. A method of detecting the outdoorenvironment information from the received information may be performedbased on previously determined field identifying information. That is,the processor 250 may detect identifying information indicating apreviously determined outdoor environment information field from thereceived information, and detect information included in a data field ofa field including the detected identifying information as the outdoorenvironment information.

If at least one piece of the outdoor environment information is detectedfrom the received information, the processor 250 detects a keywordcorresponding to the detected outdoor environment information byanalyzing the detected outdoor environment information in step S402. Thekeyword corresponding to the detected outdoor environment informationmay be weather, temperature, humidity, intensity of wind, a degree ofair pollution (for example, yellow dust), security, traffic, life care,energy consumption, amount of sunlight, etc. as listed in Table 1.

The outdoor environment information may be analyzed by comparing thereceived outdoor environment information and a previously set referencevalue. For example, if the previously set reference value is 25° C., andthe received outdoor environment information is 28° C., the processor250 compares the two values. As a result of comparison, since thetemperature of the received outdoor environment information is 3° C.higher than that of the previously set reference value, the processor250 may determine that a temperature is necessarily adjusted anddetected the keyword corresponding to the outdoor environmentinformation as the temperature. If the temperature of the receivedoutdoor environment information is the same as that of the previouslyset reference value, the processor 250 may determine that thetemperature is not necessarily adjusted and exclude the temperature asthe keyword corresponding to the outdoor environment information. Thepreviously set reference value may be set based on information inputthrough the user interface unit 240 or set default. The keywordcorresponding to the outdoor environment information may be outdoorenvironment information type information.

The processor 250 may detect the keyword corresponding to the outdoorenvironment information by analyzing content of the receivedinformation. For example, if the content of the received information isthat “weather is good today,” the processor 250 may detect the keywordcorresponding to the outdoor environment information as “weather.” Ifthe content of the received information is that “energy consumptionincreases,” the processor 250 may detect the keyword corresponding tothe outdoor environment information as “energy consumption.” If thecontent of the received information is that “air pollution is high, andcold patients or flu patients are rapidly increasing,” the processor 250may detect the keyword corresponding to the outdoor environmentinformation as “air pollution” and “life care.” If the content of thereceived information is that “it is cloudy,” the processor 250 maydetect the keyword corresponding to the outdoor environment informationas “sunshine.” If the content of the received information is that “gasconsumption is increasing,” the processor 250 may detect the keywordcorresponding to the outdoor environment information as “energyconsumption.” If the content of the received information is “trafficaccident information,” the processor 250 may detect the keywordcorresponding to the outdoor environment information as “traffic.” Thekeyword may be determined based on the outdoor environment informationused in a table like Table 1 stored in the storage unit 220. Theprocessor 250 may include a dictionary function or a vocabulary analysisfunction to detect the keyword from the content of the receivedinformation as described above. The vocabulary analysis function may bea morpheme analysis library based function.

The processor 250 searches for information regarding devices from thestorage unit 220 based on the keyword corresponding to the detectedoutdoor environment information in step S403. For example, if thekeyword corresponding to the detected outdoor environment information is“energy consumption,” the processor 250 may search for “a refrigerator,an air conditioner, an air cleaner, a boiler, a dishwasher, and a mobilephone” as the information regarding devices based on Table 1 stored inthe storage unit 220. If the keyword corresponding to the detectedoutdoor environment information is “humidity, air pollution, and lifecare information,” the processor 250 may search for “a humidifier” asthe information regarding devices based on Table 1 stored in the storageunit 220. For example, if the keyword corresponding to the detectedoutdoor environment information is “humidity and air pollution,” theprocessor 250 may search for “a humidifier and an air cleaner” as theinformation regarding devices based on Table 1 stored in the storageunit 220. For example, if the keyword corresponding to the detectedoutdoor environment information is “weather,” the processor 250 maysearch for “a washing machine/drying machine, a TV, an air conditioner,an air cleaner, lighting, a window, a sprinkler, and a mobile phone” asthe information regarding devices based on Table 1 stored in the storageunit 220.

If the information regarding devices is searched as described above, theprocessor 250 selects a related device among the found devices based onthe received outdoor environment information in step S404. For example,if “a refrigerator, an air conditioner, an air cleaner, a boiler, and adishwasher” are searched as the information regarding devices by using akeyword “energy consumption,” and the received outdoor environmentinformation is “an increase in energy consumption of a current city,”the processor 250 may select an “air conditioner” having the largestpower consumption. The attribute information of devices stored in thestorage unit 220 may be used to allow the processor 250 to select thedevice. The attribute information of devices may include specificationinformation of each device as well as the function information ofdevices stated above.

If at least one device is selected, the processor 250 generatesinformation used to control the selected device based on the outdoorenvironment information of FIG. 3 in step S302. For example, if thetemperature of the received outdoor environment information is 3° C.higher than that of the previously set reference value as describedabove, the processor 250 may generate control information used tooperate an air conditioner. The control information used to operate theair conditioner may be information used to simply turn the airconditioner on. However, the control information used to operate the airconditioner may be information used to control a specific function ofthe air conditioner based on the relation between an indoor temperatureand an outdoor temperature. Thus, the processor 250 may control acorresponding device through the second network interface unit 240 basedon the control information generated in step S302.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, in which a function of transmitting the controlinformation generated in FIG. 3 to the user device 130_5 or outputtingthe control information to the output unit 242 of the user interfaceunit 240 is added.

Thus, steps S501 and S502 of FIG. 5 are the same as steps S301 and S302of FIG. 3, and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted here to avoid aredundant description.

In step S503, the processor 250 transmits guide information based on thecontrol information generated in step S502 to the user device 130_5 of aselected device or outputs the guide information to the output unit 242.If control information that is the same as that generated in step S302of FIG. 3 is generated, the guide information may be “would you like toturn the air conditioner on?” and “would you like to set a desiredtemperature of an air conditioner as 25° C.?,” but the present inventionis not limited thereto. The user device 130_5 of the selected device maybe selected on the same standard as described with reference to FIGS. 1and 2. The user device 130_5 may be a main user device because the userdevice 130_5 may be selected based on at least one of usage historyinformation regarding the selected device of FIG. 2, locationinformation thereof, and attribute information thereof, and a pluralityof user devices may be selected according to the standard describedabove.

In step S504, the processor 250 controls the selected device by usingthe received information based on the transmitted or output guideinformation. The received information based on the guide information maybe simply “yes, no” or may be specific data or detailed data. Thespecific data or detailed data may be numerical data or data expressinga function of the selected device. The received information based on theguide information may be a control command of the selected device. Theprocessor 250 may transmit a signal used to control the selected devicebased on the received data to the selected device through the secondnetwork interface unit 230. Accordingly, the selected device operates.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, in which control information regarding a deviceselected based on outdoor environment information and user informationis generated. Step S601 of FIG. 6 is the same as step S301 of FIG. 3,and, thus, a description thereof will be omitted here to avoid aredundant description.

In step S602, the processor 250 collects user information. The userinformation may be collected by searching for an external databasethrough the first network interface unit 210 and the second networkinterface unit 230 or an internal database stored in the storage unit220. The internal database stored in the storage unit 220 may beconfigured by access to at least one device through the second networkinterface unit 230, as data downloaded through the first networkinterface unit 210, or as information input by the input unit 241 of theuser interface unit 240.

The collectable user information may include Personal InformationManagement System (PIMS) or PIM based information. The user informationmay include, for example, user business trip information, user outinginformation, and user health information. The user business tripinformation and the user outing information may be based on user inputinformation, the user health information may be user medical treatmentinformation or the user input information, but the present invention isnot limited thereto. The user medical treatment information may beprovided from the medical institute server 130_2 through the firstnetwork interface unit 210.

The user information may include information indicating whether at leastone user exists in the region 160 of FIG. 1. For example, if the region160 is a home-based region, the user information may include informationindicating whether at least one user exists in the home-based region.

The information indicating whether at least one user exists in theregion 160 may be collected, for example, based on a location of amobile device of a user previously registered in the storage unit 220.That is, if the location of the mobile device of the previouslyregistered user collected through the first network interface unit 210is in the region 160, the processor 250 may obtain the user informationindicating that at least one user exists in the region 160. The locationof the mobile device of the previously registered user may be detectedby using a Global Positioning System (GPS) or base station basedlocation information. Alternatively, if the processor 250 monitors adevice status through the second network interface unit 230 anddetermines that the mobile device of the previously registered userexists in the region 160, the processor 250 may obtain the userinformation indicating that at least one user exists in the region 160.The processor 250 may monitor the device status by transmitting amessage periodically requiring a reply. Identifying information of adevice may be used to transmit or receive the message.

In step S603, the processor 250 generates control information regardingthe selected device based on the outdoor environment information and theuser information. For example, if the outdoor environment informationregarding a traffic accident is received, and the PIMS informationincluded in the user information includes a schedule to visit a placewhere the traffic accident occurred, the processor 250 may generatecontrol information indicating that a path not passing through the placethe traffic accident occurred is recommended as a path for visiting theplace when a navigation application of a selected mobile phone isexecuted.

Alternatively, if the outdoor environment information indicating weatherrelating to rain at a time of an outing of a user based on the userinformation is received, the processor 250 generates control informationin such a way that an image relating to weather is provided on abackground screen of a selected mobile phone or a screen of a selectedTV, and, thus, the user does not forget an umbrella while the user isout. If the outdoor environment information relating to security isreceived, and no user exists in the region 160 based on the userinformation, the processor 250 may generate control informationindicating that selected lighting is turned on. If the outdoorenvironment information regarding sunshine that it is cloudy isreceived, and at least one user exists in the region 160 based on theuser information, the processor 250 may generate control informationindicating that illumination of selected lighting has become brighter, aselected window is closed, and a sprinkler of a selected garden isstopped.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus 200 of FIG. 2, according to an embodimentof the present invention, in which the device control apparatus 200 is amobile device and has left the region 160, compared to the embodiment ofFIG. 3. Thus, steps S701 and S702 of FIG. 7 are the same as steps S301and S302 of FIG. 3, and, thus, descriptions thereof will be omitted hereto avoid a redundant description.

In step S703, the processor 250 determines if the device controlapparatus 200 has left the region 160. The determination may beperformed by the processor 250 by detecting location information of thedevice control apparatus 200 by using a GPS or base station basedlocation information detection method or may be performed based on inputinformation of a user who uses the input unit 241 of the user interfaceunit 240. If the processor 250 determines that the device controlapparatus 200 has left the region 160, the processor 250 transfers acontrol right to at least one of the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150_(—) n in step S704. The transfer of the control right may be performedbased on information regarding previously set candidate devices. Theinformation regarding candidate devices is previously stored in thestorage unit 220.

The transfer of the control right according to the leaving of the devicecontrol apparatus 200 may be determined by transmitting a messageperiodically which is to be replied to the device control apparatus 200by one of the devices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n having acoordinator function, and then the control right may be transferred to acandidate device having the highest priority among candidate devicesstored in the device having the coordinator function according to aresult of the determining.

The embodiments that were described with reference to FIGS. 3 through 6and will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9, 11, and 12 may bemodified to further include steps S703 and S704 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus 200 of FIG. 2, according to an embodimentof the present invention, in which a device is controlled based oncollected user information.

In step S801, the processor 250 collects user information. The processor250 collected the user information by searching for at least one of theexternal database and the internal database of the device controlapparatus 200 stated above.

In step S802, the processor 250 selects at least one device based on thecollected user information and generates control information regardingthe selected device. At least one device may be selected based on thecollected user information by using a table prepared according to therelationship between the user information stored in the storage unit 220and devices. The table may be defined as in Table 1. For example, if auser who caught a cold selects a boiler, and does not exist in theregion 160, the processor 250 may select at least one device by usingthe table like selecting lighting and a window. If at least one deviceis selected, the processor 250 generates the control informationregarding the selected device based on the user information. The controlinformation may include information indicating that the boiler is turnedon, for example, if the boiler is selected above, and lighting is turnedcompletely off and the windows are entirely closed if lighting and awindow are selected above. The processor 250 may control the selecteddevice through the second network interface unit 230 according to thecontrol information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus 200 of FIG. 2, according to an embodimentof the present invention, in which steps S503 and S504 are added to theembodiment described with respect to FIG. 8. Thus, steps S901 and S902of FIG. 9 are the same as steps S801 and S802 of FIG. 8, and steps S903and S904 of FIG. 9 are the same as steps S530 and S504 of FIG. 5, andthus descriptions thereof will be omitted here to avoid a redundantdescription. Referring to FIG. 9, when a selected device is controlledbased on user information, the user device 130_5 or the input unit 241of the user interface unit 240 may be used.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a device control apparatus 1000,according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the devicecontrol apparatus 200 of FIG. 2 further includes a function ofcollecting indoor environment information. The parts with the samereference numerals between FIGS. 2 and 10 may be interpreted to performthe same functions. The parts of the device control apparatus 1000 ofFIG. 10 may be more or less than those shown in FIG. 10.

An indoor environment information collection unit 1010 may collectindoor environment information based on various sensors. The indoorenvironment information may include at least one of temperature,humidity, and air pollution but the present invention is not limitedthereto. Various sensors included in the indoor environment informationcollection unit 1010 may include sensors for collecting the indoorenvironment information.

A processor 1020 may select a device based on at least one of the indoorenvironment information, at least one of outdoor environment informationand user information received through the first network interface unit210, and user information received through the second network interfaceunit 230 and generate control information of the selected device.

That is, the processor 1020 may operate as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 isa flowchart illustrating a device control method performed by the devicecontrol apparatus 1000 of FIG. 10, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, in which a device is controlled based on outdoor andindoor environment information. Step S1101 of FIG. 11 is the same asstep S301 of FIG. 3, and, thus, a description thereof will be omittedhere to avoid a redundant description.

In step S1102, the processor 1020 collects the indoor environmentinformation through the indoor environment information collection unit1010. In step S1103, the processor 1020 generates control informationregarding a device selected in step S1101 based on the collected indoorand outdoor environment information. For example, if the outdoorenvironment information has a temperature of 28° C., and the indoorenvironment information has a temperature of 22° C., since a temperaturedifference between the two is 6° C., the processor 1020 generatescontrol information indicating that a selected air conditioner operatesin order to adjust the temperature difference of 6° C. If a desiredtemperature is previously set, the processor 1020 may be implemented togenerate the control information only when an indoor temperature ishigher than the desired temperature.

The embodiment of FIG. 11 may be modified to further include steps S503and S504 of FIG. 5. If the embodiment of FIG. 11 is modified to furtherinclude steps S503 and S504 of FIG. 5, the processor 1020 may transmitguide information based on the generated control information to the userdevice 130_5, or output the guide information to the output unit 242 ofthe user interface unit 240, and control the device selected byinformation received based on the guide information.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a device control method performed bythe device control apparatus 1000 of FIG. 10, according to an embodimentof the present invention, in which a device is controlled based onoutdoor environment information, indoor environment information, anduser information. That is, the embodiment of FIG. 12 further includes astep of collecting the user information in addition to the embodiment ofFIG. 11. Steps S1201 and S1202 of FIG. 12 are the same as steps S1101and S1102 of FIG. 11, and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted hereto avoid a redundant description.

In step S1203, the processor 1020 collects the user information bysearching at least one of internal database stored in the storage unit220 and external database described above. The user information may beat least one of business trip information, outing information, and PIMSor PIM based information as described above, but the present inventionis not limited thereto. If the processor 1020 searches for the userinformation through the external database, the processor 1020 may searchfor the user information from the user device 130_5 that is to transmitcontrol information. A method of searching for the user information maybe performed based on identifying information for users.

In step S1204, the processor 1020 generates control informationregarding a selected device based on the collected indoor and outdoorenvironment information and user information. For example, if theoutdoor environment information has a temperature of 28° C., and theindoor environment information has a temperature of 22° C., since atemperature difference the two is 6° C. while a user is currentlyabsent, the processor 1020 may not generate control information.However, if the temperature difference the two is 6° C., and the user isdiagnosed as having a cold based on medical treatment record informationof the user, the processor 1020 may generate control informationindicating that an air conditioner operates according to a temperaturedifference between an appropriate indoor temperature and a currentlycollected indoor temperature as described above.

The embodiment of FIG. 12 may be modified to further include steps S503and S504 of FIG. 5.

If the user device 130_5 of FIG. 1 exists in the region 160 through thelocal area network 140, the network of FIG. 1 may be reconfigured asshown in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a network 1300based on a device control apparatus 1310, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, in which a device 1 1330_1 corresponds to theuser device 130_5 of FIG. 1.

The device control apparatus 1310 may access a device 1 1330_1 based onone of a Local Area Network (LAN) 1320 and the external network 120. Inthis regard, the device 1 1330_1 may be a mobile device like the userdevice 130_5. If the device 1 130_1 and the device control apparatus1310 are mobile devices, the device 1 1330_1 may be the mobile device ofa person different from that of the device control apparatus 1310 amongthe people based on the region 1340. The region 1340 may be aspace-based region accessible by the device control apparatus 1310through the local area network 1320.

An information provider 1350 of FIG. 13 may be defined in the samemanner as the region 130 of FIG. 1. The local area network 1320 of FIG.13 may be defined in the same manner as the local area network 140 ofFIG. 1. Devices 2˜m 1330_2 through 1330 _(—) m may correspond to thedevices 1 to n 150_1 through 150 _(—) n of FIG. 1. The parts with thesame reference numerals between FIGS. 13 and 1 may be interpreted toperform the same functions. The device control apparatus 1310 of FIG. 13may access the information provider 1350 through the external network120 and control at least one devices 1 to m 1330_1 through 1330 _(—) maccessible through the local area network 1320, like the device controlapparatus 110 of FIG. 1.

The devices 2˜m 1330_2 through 1330 _(—) m may include a mobile device.If the devices 2˜m 1330_2 through 1330 _(—) m include at least onemobile device, the mobile device included in the devices 2˜m 1330_2through 1330 _(—) m may be the mobile device of a person different fromthe device 1 1330_1 among the people based on the region 1340. Forexample, if the region 1340 is a home-based region, the device controlapparatus 1310 is one resident's mobile device, and the device 1 1330_1is another resident's mobile device, the mobile device included in thedevices 2˜m 1330_2 through 1330 _(—) m may be a yet another resident'smobile device.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable codes on anon-transitory computer readable recording medium. The computer readablerecording medium is any data storage device that can store data whichcan thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computerreadable recording medium include Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random-AccessMemory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical datastorage devices, and the like. The computer readable recording mediumcan also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so thatthe computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributedfashion. Also, functional programs, code, and code segments foraccomplishing the present invention can be easily construed byprogrammers of ordinary skill in the art to which the present inventionpertains.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood byone of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims and theirequivalents.

1. A device control method, the method comprising: selecting at leastone device based on at least one outdoor environment information; andgenerating control information regarding the selected at least onedevice based on the at least one outdoor environment information.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: outputting guide informationbased on the control information.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: transmitting the guide information based on the controlinformation to a user device of the selected at least one device.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the user device is selected based on at leastone of usage history information of the selected at least one device,location information of the selected at least one device, and attributeinformation of the selected at least one device.
 5. The method of claim2, further comprising: controlling the selected at least one device byusing information received based on the guide information.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: collecting indoor environmentinformation, wherein generating control information includes generatingcontrol information based on the outdoor environment information and theindoor environment information.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising: collecting user information, wherein generating controlinformation includes generating the control information based on theoutdoor environment information, the indoor environment information, andthe user information.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein collecting userinformation comprises: searching for at least one of an externaldatabase of a device control apparatus for controlling the selected atleast one device and an internal database of the device controlapparatus.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the user informationcomprises: information indicating whether at least one user exists in aregion for controlling the at least one device.
 10. The method of claim1, further comprising: collecting user information, wherein generatingcontrol information includes generating the control information based onthe outdoor environment information and the user information.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein collecting user information comprises:searching for at least one of an external database of the device controlapparatus for controlling the selected at least one device and aninternal database of the device control apparatus.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the user information comprises: information indicatingwhether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the atleast one device.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: if adevice control apparatus for controlling the selected at least onedevice has left a region for controlling the at least one device,transferring a control right of the device control apparatus to a deviceincluded in the at least one device.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereintransferring the control right is performed based on informationregarding previously set candidate devices.
 15. A device control method,the method comprising: selecting at least one device based on at leastone user information; and generating control information regarding theselected at least one device based on the at least one user information.16. The method of claim 15, wherein selecting at least one deviceincludes searching for at least one of an external database of a devicecontrol apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device andan internal database of the device control apparatus to obtain the atleast one user information.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the userinformation comprises: information indicating whether at least one userexists in a region for controlling the at least one device.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: outputting guide informationbased on the control information.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising: transmitting the guide information based on the controlinformation to a user device of the selected at least one device. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein the user device is selected based on atleast one of usage history information of the selected at least onedevice, location information of the selected at least one device, andattribute information of the selected at least one device.
 21. Anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodiedthereon a program for executing a device control method, the methodcomprising: selecting at least one device based on at least one outdoorenvironment information; and generating control information regardingthe selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoorenvironment information.
 22. A non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing adevice control method, the method comprising collecting userinformation; and generating control information based on outdoorenvironment information and the user information.
 23. A device controlapparatus, the apparatus comprising: a first network interface unit forinterfacing with an external network; a second network interface unitfor interfacing with a local area network; and a processor for selectingat least one device accessible through the second network interface unitbased on at least one outdoor environment information received throughthe first network interface unit, and generating control informationregarding the selected at least one device based on the at least oneoutdoor environment information.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, furthercomprising: an output unit for outputting guide information, wherein theprocessor outputs guide information based on the control information tothe output unit.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processortransmits the guide information based on the control information to auser device of the selected at least one device through the secondnetwork interface unit.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein theprocessor selects the user device based on at least one of usage historyinformation of the selected at least one device, location information ofthe selected at least one device, and attribute information of theselected at least one device.
 27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein theprocessor outputs a control signal regarding the selected at least onedevice through the second network interface unit by using informationreceived based on the guide information.
 28. The apparatus of claim 23,further comprising: an indoor environment information collection unitfor collecting indoor environment information, wherein the processorgenerates the control information based on the outdoor environmentinformation and the indoor environment information.
 29. The apparatus ofclaim 28, wherein the processor collects user information, and generatesthe control information based on the outdoor environment information,the indoor environment information, and the user information.
 30. Theapparatus of claim 29, further comprising: a storage unit for storing atleast one user information, wherein the processor searches for at leastone of an external database accessible through the first networkinterface unit and an internal database stored in the storage unit tocollect the at least one user information.
 31. The apparatus of claim29, wherein the user information comprises: information indicatingwhether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the atleast one device.
 32. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: astorage unit for storing at least one user information, wherein theprocessor searches for at least one of an external database accessiblethrough the first network interface unit and an internal database storedin the storage unit to collect the at least one user information. 33.The apparatus of claim 23, wherein, if the device control apparatus forcontrolling the selected at least one device has left a region forcontrolling the at least one device, the processor transfers a controlright of the device control apparatus to a device included in the atleast one device.
 34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising: astorage unit for storing information regarding candidate devices capableof transferring the control right, wherein the processor transfers thecontrol right based on information regarding the candidate devicesstored in the storage unit.
 35. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein thelocal area network is a home-based network.
 36. A device controlapparatus, the apparatus comprising: a first network interface unit forinterfacing with an external network; a second network interface unitfor interfacing with a local area network; a processor for selecting atleast one device based on user information obtained by searching for atleast one of an external database and an internal database accessiblethrough the second network interface unit and generating controlinformation regarding the selected at least one device based on the userinformation; and a storage unit for storing a database based on the userinformation, wherein the database stored in the storage unit correspondsto the internal database.